Emillio Huecha
A Comanchero in the western Papal States, Emilio would first take up the gun in revenge, then to feed the people of his impoverished village. His activities would eventually reach the nobility who dispatched a militia after him. Emilio would be betrayed and turned over to the authorities and executed shortly later. Biography Emilio was born to farmers in the Papal village of La Mesa de Dios. A village of farmers, most barely got by under the Baron's taxes by growing cash crops. Emilio's family was one of the few that grew food instead, most of which was shared with their fellow paisanos. The village Baron, Edgar Alhonso, tolerated this as it kept the people content and one house's crops didn't make that much of a difference. His son Juan would be of a different mind, and when his father died in 2240 he demanded that everyone grow cash crops. The Huecha's would defy the order and continue to grow corn, enraging the Baron. The noble sent his men to the farm to convince them to change their ways, but the visit would end in flames as the farm was engulfed. Emilio, who was away visiting a neighbor, would be consumed with grief as he found his family dead in the rubble. He at first thought it to be the work of Comancheros but when he tried to rally a posse, he would find out differently. The townspeople were sympathetic to his plight and some of his neighbor's would take him in that night. His grief would give way to anger, and he soon began plotting his revenge. He would go around to his friends and ask them for their help, but would only be given a pistol and gun-belt in response. Undeterred, he would wait in ambush for one of the Baron's men, and when he stepped outside his house, Emilio would shoot him down. Grabbing the dead man's weapon, he would run off into the night as the guards chased after him. He managed to loose them in a field, and continue his revenge campaign. The Baron would try to make peace at first, fearing a popular revolt, but he found Emilio to be unwilling to talk. He would then try to kill the teen, sending for more men to restore order. The village Cardinal Raul Xiomara would catch wind of the plot however, and demanded both side sit down for peace or face excommunication. The threat would work and Emilio would meet Alhonso face to face, each man seething. They each agreed to lay down their guns and to allow for an investigation into the burning of the Huecha farm, and everyone again breathed easy. Emilio would not trust the investigation however, and when it decided that the Baron was not responsible, the feud would be reignited. Emilio would rally several others who were tired of the regime and they formed a small opposition group. At first trying to convince Baron Alhonso to step down and then asking for outside help, Emilio's supporters would be turned to violence when mercenaries hired by Alhonso shot two of their members. Hanging the corpses in the square as criminals, they would succeed in drawing out Huecha and several armed supporters. They would be surprised by shots from behind them however, as the opposition surrounded them. A short gunfight followed which saw Emilio and his band triumphant but wounded. They then marched to the Baron's house and hanged him, letting his corpse dangle for all to see. It would be a bittersweet victory for the group, as they knew they had to leave, as the other lords would never allow one of theirs to be killed by Paisanos, no matter the circumstances. They would gather what family and belongings they could and headed west to El Distrito Capital. Time in the Distrito Their first few days would actually prove pleasant, and both weather and forage was on their side. When they passed by an Petro-chico station is when their luck turned. A pack of Molerats would emerge from the inside of the station and attack them, catching most by surprise. The scuffle would be short but bloody; three people would be killed and many injured, several of the Molerats were killed, and the survivors of both species ran away. The humans would lick their wounds in a small farmstead that night, morale at an all time low. They would wander into a small village the next day, called "La Negra Mare" and receive a friendly welcome from its people. Emilio and several of the more well-feeling members of his group talked with the residents, and learned they were welcome as long as they did not cause trouble and help out when they could. The refugees would find this a very favorable arrangement and would quickly integrate into the community. Emilio would join the defense when Comancheros attacked that November, fighting as well as the locals. This effort would be appreciated and Emilio would gain in standing in the village. The next year would begin on a happy note as the two groups intermarried, and plans were made for a second wedding. A harsh drought would curse them that fall, and their harvest were meager. Many relied on their savings, but these would be depleted before the winter was half gone. The villagers would struggle for a solution, some leaving to find work, but no solution presented itself. Emilio would be approached about asking for alms from the Papal States, but the outlaw very much doubted their generosity. He was proven correct when the delegation returned empty-handed. A foray by hungry Coyotes would drain their food supply even further, resigning some to starvation. Emilio was desperate to avoid seeing his home destroyed, and resolved to get the money himself. He would slip out of town in the dead of night and head further into the district seeking fast money. He would get his chance almost immediately as he came across a skirmish between raiders and tribals of Bibliotecarios Unión. Coming across the battle near the start, he initially thought the tribals to be mutants like those rumored about in The Saltlands, but the raiders' bone fetishes set off warning bells. He let them two groups fight it out longer and intervene when the raiders brutality became too unbearable. He shot several rounds toward the raider's positions, striking one in the leg and causing the others to panic as they thought it was more tribals. This gave the librarians the time they need to retreat, which split the raiders in two. This would be all the tribals needed, as they rallied and cut down the pursuing raiders. Emilio would cautiously make his way to the surviving librarians and introduce himself, being moderately surprised that they spoke Spanish. They would invite him to look over the dead raiders with them and return to their camp for the night, which he accepted though didn't partake in the former. That night he would learn about the district and the groups within it, discovering money came almost exclusively through violence or luck. He would decide on the first choice that night, and when the tribals offered to take him to the library home, he agreed. On the way they would come across a stranded caravan, the merchants trying to repair their cart's axle. The tribals would offer to help, but would be met with rude rebukes. Further words were said and someone drew a gun. At the end of the shooting Emilio and one tribal were alive to look over the carnage. As they did, they got a chance to look closer at the cargo, finding it to consist of arms and all bearing the seal of Papal lord. The pair would each take as much as they could carry and go their separate ways, With Emilio heading to his village. Upon his return he found a wretched handful of souls remained, huddling around weak fires. He would speak to them of his time in the ruins and how the lords of the Papacy were sponsoring their suffering. He then proposed that they take their food from these warmongers, and was met with grim reluctance. He further convinced them with tales he heard of their past, and the villagers prepared to raid. Banditry & Death Their first target would be a Papal caravan that passed nearby on its way farther into the district, and they would wait until it was loaded down on the return trip before attacking it. Surprising and surrounding the guards, Emilio initially gave them the chance to leave the wagon and return home alive. The guards would agree at first, to the great relief of the bandits, but it would prove to be a ruse as they drew their weapons when their ambushers lowered their guard. A short, bloody shootout followed that left all the caravanners and several villagers dead, and many more wounded. Emilio would be the only one not harmed, which he took as a miracle. The bandits gathered their dead and treasure, and returned to their homes. Morale was low until someone noticed that the cargo was medicine, which would support them through the drought. A party of them quickly offloaded the meds and bought food and supplies, sharing the remaining money among the village equally. This would help many stomach what they saw as murder, and in 2242 the bandits would strike again, this time ambushing a group of mercenaries. Recognizing their logo, one woman relayed how the group often took slaves and raped women as well. Not wanting another pack of animals nearby, a small militia armed and traveled to a narrow turn between two hills and waited. The mercenary caravan would walk unsuspectingly into the trap, and would quickly be swarmed by bullets. The ambushers would quickly win out, but when they searched the wagons found only armor and mechanical parts. They would take both back with them and dispose of the bodies, having lost three of their own as well. They would sell their spoils in a hurry, eager to get rid of them and gain something out of the venture. Many in the town were disheartened and troubled by their latest ambush, but Emilio would give an impromptu speech in the cantina that night justifying their actions. He would lead them in off and on raids over then next seventeen years, targeting medicine and food wagons when times were tough, or arms wagons when times were good, but always offering a peaceful robbery. He always made sure to justify his actions "for the good of the District.", Which earned him some notoriety amongst the people of the district. This would come to haunt him in 2249 when he attacked a Papal caravan delivering an envoy and supplies further afield. Striking and leaving fast, the bandits would overlook one paisano who managed to crawl underneath a wagon, and who ran back to his village after the bandits left. Traveling blindly, the man would arrive in rough shape which added extra gravity to his story, and infuriated his Count. The nobleman would assemble his troops and call upon his neighbors to do the same, and the combined force set off for the bandits. Emilio would catch wind of the force by a courier that passed through the village, but he assumed that they were warring with some of the mutants in the region. His mistake would cost him dearly as the Papists descended on the town and rounded up the population, demanding to know who was responsible for the attack. Knowing that someone was going to die, Emilio would say he organized it with some traveling mercenaries and he was only hiding in that village, and the people agreed with him. He was then executed by firing squad onside the cantina wall and buried in a shallow ditch, though his body was later dug up and moved to the town cemetery. Personality Emilio is remembered as a kind-hearted - if hot tempered - man. Both are often attributed to his childhood in The Papal States and poverty. He claimed never to attack or harm anyone who hadn't harmed him first, or those who made others starve with their greed. Despite this he was quick to anger in other situations. He would start drinking and enter a brief depression after he turned to banditry, but he soon found a sense of purpose in it. He would remain resolute in his cause to the time of his death, and is often used as Comanchero propaganda. Category:Characters Category:Mexico Category:Tamaulipas Category:Deceased